The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors and in particular to connectors having enclosures.
A wide variety of electronic devices are available for consumers today. Many of these devices have connectors that that facilitate communication with and/or charging of the corresponding device. These connectors often interface with other connectors through cables that are used to connect devices to one another. Sometimes, connectors are used without a cable to directly connect the device to another device, such as a charging station or a sound system.
As smart-phones, media players and other electronic devices become more compact, their corresponding connectors play a greater role in the ultimate market success of the device. For example, in many nano-scale MP3 players and compact flash storage devices, the connectors actually dominate the physical geometry, the aesthetics and sometimes the cost of the electronic device. Thus, there is a continued desire to reduce the size and cost of the connectors.
As the size of the connectors are continually reduced, the associated component tolerances and clearances are commensurately reduced. For example, many connectors have an interior body that is covered with an enclosure. As the size of the connector has been reduced, the clearance between the enclosure and the body has also been significantly reduced. This significant reduction in clearance may present challenges in the assembly process.
As one example, a bonding material may be employed to affix the enclosure to the connector body. However, with reduced clearance between the enclosure and the body there may be insufficient clearance between these components to effectively distribute the bonding material. This may result in poor adhesion of the enclosure to the connector body, thus alternative designs are desirable.